"Forget it. I'm not a particularly decent person, and I don't have that fine quality of enjoying helping others."
Aoyao shrugged, turned, and left.
At the entrance to the freshmen's dormitory, only Huo Yuhao, who was struggling to climb back to his feet, and Mu En, who was silently sighing to himself, remained.
"Damn! That guy really has no loyalty! You two met in the Star Dou Great Forest, didn't you? And just now, he didn't even budge. He just stood there with his hands tucked in his sleeves and watched!"
Brother Sky Dream's indignant voice in his mind brought a faint, bitter smile to Huo Yuhao's face.
He and the other boy had only met once, after all. He really couldn't demand that Aoyao lend him a hand. Besides, when all was said and done, he had been the one to strike first, so he wasn't in the right.
Of course, at the root of it all was the fact that he was simply too weak.
If he could become strong, he could defeat Dai Huabin without relying on anyone else and avenge his mother with his own hands!
At that thought, the flames of revenge flared in Huo Yuhao's eyes once again, and his determination to grow stronger burned all the fiercer.
To break through to level twenty as soon as possible and awaken his second martial soul, he had to redouble his efforts!
His transformation would begin today!
His resolve firm, Huo Yuhao limped into the dormitory building. The sight also made Mu En glance his way.
Of all the freshmen, Huo Yuhao was the only one who bowed to him, and such a disposition was precious indeed. His talent might be a little lacking, but he was still a promising seedling.
Although their acquaintance had been brief, Mu En had already developed some interest in Huo Yuhao.
Not long after he left, Aoyao spotted Ning Tian and Wu Feng coming toward him.
The two of them had actually been downstairs for a while. They had originally been waiting for Aoyao to come find them, but after seeing the contents of the diary, they had taken the initiative to seek him out.
Although Ning Tian had plenty of grievances with Wang Dong'er, she showed no sign of them on her face. Instead, she offered a faint smile.
"Hello, my name is Ning Tian."
As she spoke, Ning Tian openly extended her hand.
Noticing that exceptionally fair hand, Wang Dong'er did not shake it. She merely gave a bland nod.
"Wang Dong."
An arrogant young man, huh... she really did play the part.
Had she not known in advance that Wang Dong was Wang Dong'er, and that Wang Dong'er was a girl, Ning Tian might really have taken her for a cool, handsome young man.
But now...
Ning Tian already regarded Wang Dong'er as her greatest rival.
Even after being deliberately ignored like that, Ning Tian did not get angry. She naturally withdrew her hand, clasped both hands behind her back, and turned sideways to look at Aoyao.
"What are we going to eat?"
"Wang Dong, what do you think we should eat? You're treating us anyway, so you get to decide."
[Shrek Academy might not be a proper academy, but it does a pretty good job when it comes to food. Even the food in the Outer Court cafeteria is delicious. You could even call it luxurious.]
[But making us pay for meals... I'll have to give it a bad review for that.]
[I never paid for a meal at Moonwatch Tower! But here at Shrek Academy, I actually have to wait until I can eat at the Inner Court cafeteria before it's free... What, does it think it's an online game with an incentive system!?]
"I get to decide? Then let's go to the Outer Court cafeteria."
Wang Dong'er answered casually. She was just about to step forward when a girl's voice rang out beside her.
"Hey!"
Wang Dong'er stopped at the sound and looked toward its source with a slight frown-Wu Feng was staring at her with an irritated expression.
If Ning Tian had some grievances with Wang Dong'er, Wu Feng had even more. Especially after Wang Dong'er had just ignored Ning Tian's goodwill, Wu Feng was so annoyed that she couldn't help saying:
"Aren't you being way too rude?"
Rude? Me?
Despite Wu Feng's hostile expression, Wang Dong'er showed not a trace of fear. Instead, she snorted. "What? Not shaking her hand makes me rude? Sorry, I'm a clean freak. I don't want to shake hands."
"You!"
A clean freak?
More likely, she thinks we're a threat because we also have Diary Copies, so she's doing this deliberately, right?
Noticing the provocation in Wang Dong'er's eyes, Wu Feng reached straight for her without another word.
As she reached out, her hands rapidly transformed. In an instant, a layer of fine scales covered Wu Feng's arms, and her hands grew elongated and sharp.
Want to fight?
I'm not afraid of you!
Wang Dong'er's expression shifted, and a pair of wings suddenly appeared behind her. The colors at the tips of her forewings shifted continuously between deep blue, azure, and pale blue. Their entire surface resembled a blue sky inlaid with a string of brilliant halos, forming a V that brought light to the world. The white patterns on the wings looked like inset jewels, glittering with an enchanting radiance.
As her martial soul emerged, two purple Soul Rings also appeared behind Wang Dong'er.
Mu En finally could no longer sit still in his wicker chair, and a flicker of shock crossed his face.
Even geniuses whose second soul ring exceeded the optimal age allocation were rare, let alone someone whose first soul ring was already a thousand years old!
This little one actually possessed such astonishing talent?
But a youngster with talent like that still hadn't reached the rank of a three-ring Soul Elder at this age... It looked as though she had done quite a bit of slacking off in her earlier cultivation!
[Huh? Wait, Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin only just finished fighting. Why are you two going at it now?]
[And when did Wang Dong'er's Soul Rings turn into two purple ones? Aren't her first two supposed to be one yellow and one purple? Now even her first soul ring is a thousand-year one?]
[But honestly, this is way more interesting than watching Huo Yuhao and Dai Huabin fight!]
[Women fighting... that's my favorite! This is a selection personally approved by the grandmaster himself. Do you understand how much that's worth!?]
[The only pity is that women in this world don't pull hair and kick each other in the stomach when they fight... Come to think of it, I really do miss that a little!]
Reading the diary's contents, Ning Tian couldn't help twitching the corners of her mouth twice. She added "nasty personality" to her assessment of Aoyao.
When normal people saw something like this happen between the people around them, wasn't their first reaction supposed to be stopping it?
Why was your first reaction excitement and settling in to watch the show!?
[Still... Wu Feng might not be able to beat Wang Dong'er! Sure, Wang Dong'er's a bit lazy about cultivating and a bit arrogant, but her fighting strength is the real deal. Her soul power level might not be high, but with a top-tier martial soul and two Thousand-Year Soul Rings, she should still be able to defeat Wu Feng.]
Wang Dong'er took a deep breath.
Previously, she had indeed been rather lazy about cultivating.
But now, realizing who she was up against, Wang Dong'er had clearly recognized the importance of strength. Lately, she had been cultivating seriously.
On the journey to Shrek Academy, she had been cultivating diligently the entire time.
And so, she had now reached level twenty-eight!
Before you continue